1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to an ultrasonic probe that is capable of maintaining sound absorption performance of a backing layer and effectively dissipating heat generated for reasons of converting energy of a piezoelectric layer and for other reasons, and a method of manufacturing the ultrasonic probe.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ultrasonic probes are apparatuses that radiate ultrasonic signals onto a target part of a body from a body surface of an object to be inspected and obtain a tomogram of a soft tissue or an image of blood flow of the soft tissue using information regarding reflected ultrasonic signals (ultrasonic echo signals) in a noninvasive manner.
In comparison with other image probes, such as X-ray probes, X-ray computerized tomography (CT) scanners, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) probes, and nuclear medicine probes, ultrasonic probes are small-sized and cheap, can display an image in real time, and have high safety due to lack of radiation exposure, such as X-rays. Thus, ultrasonic probes are widely used in heart, abdominal, urinary, and ob-gyn diagnoses.
An ultrasonic probe includes an ultrasonic probe that transmits ultrasonic signals to the object to be inspected and receives ultrasonic echo signals reflected from the object to be inspected so as to obtain an ultrasonic image of the object to be inspected.
The ultrasonic probe includes a transducer. Here, the transducer may include a piezoelectric layer that transforms between electrical signals and sound signals while a piezoelectric material vibrates, a matching layer that reduces a difference in acoustic impedance between the piezoelectric layer and the object to be inspected so that ultrasonic waves generated in the piezoelectric layer can be transmitted to the object to be inspected as much as possible, a lens layer that focuses ultrasonic waves proceeding toward the front of the piezoelectric layer on a particular place, and a backing layer that prevents image distortion by blocking progression of the ultrasonic waves toward the rear of the piezoelectric layer.
Research on transferring heat generated due to miniaturization and high-performance of the piezoelectric layer within the ultrasonic probe toward the rear of the ultrasonic probe (not toward the front of the ultrasonic probe) or to cool heat has been recently done.